Folding desk.



P. MOTHERSILL.

FOLDING DESK.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.20,1909.

Patented Mar.'22,'1910.

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PHILIP MOTHEBSILL, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

FOLDING DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

Application filed March 20, 1909. Serial No. 484,670.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP MoTHJaRsILL, citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at the city of Vancouver, in the Province of BritishColumbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Folding Desk, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a writing desk which though particularlydesigned to form an attachment to a rotatable panel or door such as isused in convertible rooms of apartment houses, is also applicable foruse as an ordinary desk where it is desirable that the depth of thepiece of furniture from back to front should be reducible to a minimumwhen not required for use.

The style of desk which I have selected as being most convenient forapplication to a rotatable panel is that in which a tier of drawers orbookracks on each side form the supports for the desk top and leave aspace in the center for the legs of the user.

To enable a desk of this class to be contracted in its depth from frontto rear to serve the required purpose, I hinge the front half of thelateral supports which are provided with drawers to fold within the backpart of the same and hinge the desk top to fold up against and inclosethe upper part of the desk, by which means the depth of the desk fromback to front is reduced by one half.

The particular means by which I attain the desired result is fully setforth in the following specification and illustrated by the drawings bywhich it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the desk when opened for use; Fig. 2 asimilar view of the desk when closed, and Fig. 3 a sectional plan of thelower part of the desk showing the manner of hinging the front sectionof the supports to fold within the frame of the back. Fig. 4, is adetail view showing the hinge connection.

To the back 2 of the desk are secured sides 3 and to the front edge ofeach side 3 is hinged at 5 a drawer containing frame 4 the drawers 7 ofwhich are exposed to the front when the desk is open for use, but whenclosed are turned inward as shown in Fig. 2 and as indicated by thebroken lines in Fig. 3.

Across between the sides 3 is permanently secured the back portion 10 ofthe desk top on which the upper part 13 of the desk is carried, and tothe front edge of portion 10 is hinged at 12 the front part 11 of thedesk top, which when open for use rests upon the drawer containingsections l, but when closed folds up as shown in Fig. 2 to inclose theupper part of the desk.

The lower part of the sides 8 on which the weight of the drawercontaining sections hang are connected together toward the bottom. by across tie 8, and as the strains are opposite afford mutual support toone another.

A desk is thus provided which with all the convenience of a full sizeddrawer equipped desk is capable of being folded within itself to occupyabout half the space and is thus rendered suitable for attachment to arotatable panel or for use where economy of space is a consideration.

I am aware that prior to my invention cabinets have been used havingpivotally mounted drawers and book racks, and that collapsible deskshave been used wherein the hinged doors of the lower part have been usedto support a hinged desk top similar to that which forms a part of myinvention. With such I do not consider that my invention conflicts forthe pivotally mounted drawers or book racks are merely introduced toafford greater convenience of access, and form in no respect a supportfor the desk top, and where a desk top has previously been supported onmembers hinged to the sides such hinged members have merely been doorsclosing the front of the lower part of the desk as a cupboard, and havenot been. capable of adaptation to the same purpose as mine in that theyhave not only been wanting the drawer holding frame but the cross tiewhich supports the sides under their weight.

My invention therefore lies in having the drawer furnished side supportsof a desk to fold inward and in tying the back part of the sidestogether to sustain the weight of the front drawer holding sections.

Having now particularly described my invention what I claim as new anddesire to be protected in by Letters Patent is:

1. A desk having a back wall, and side walls and a top projectingforwardly there from, drawer cases on both sides of the desk, means forhingedly securing each of said cases at its outer rear edge to the frontedge of one of said side walls to swing horizontally, said hinging meansbeing so positioned that the rear wall of said drawer case lies againstthe inner face of the side wall of the desk at one limit of itsmovement, or may be swung outwardly to bring the outer side wall of thecase in line with the side wall-of the desk. g

2. A desk having a back wall, and side walls and a top projectingforwardly there from, drawer cases on both sides of the desk, means forhingedly securing each of said cases at its outer rear edge to the frontedge of one of said side walls to swing horizontally, said hinging meansbeing so positioned that the rear wall of said drawer case lies againstthe inner face of the side wall of the desk at one limit of itsmovement, or may be swung outwardly to bring the outer side wall of thecase in line with the side wall of the desk, said drawer cases eachbeing of less length from front to rear than one-half the width of thedesk, so as to leave a space between the cases at the middle of the deskwhen they are folded into the desk.

3. A desk having a back wall, and side walls and a top projectingforwardly there from, drawer cases on both sides of the desk,

means for hingedly securing each of said cases at its outer rear edge tothe front edge of one of said side walls to swing horizontally, saidhinging means being so positioned that the rear wall of said drawer caselies against the inner face of theside wall of the desk at one limit ofits movement, or may be swung outwardly to bring the outer side wall ofthe case in line with the side wall of the desk, the width of a sidewall of the desk combined with the length of a drawer case from front torear when swung out being greater than the width of the desk top,whereby said drawer cases project beyond said top when swung out, and alid hinged to said top in position to be folded down upon and supportedby said drawer cases when the latter are swung out.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

PHILIP MOTHERSILL.

A. G. WOOLSEY.

